What It's Like to Fly

Chapters

Sky vs. Earth
Some Prefer to Hang Low
The Hike up Yellow Mountain
Xavier's Project
Flying is a Challenge
Xavier's Flight

Sky vs. Earth

Xavier interviewed Rainbow Dash, asking questions about what it was like to grow up as a Pegasus, about her athletic abilities, the Sonic Rainboom, and competing for a spot in the Equestria Games. Then he asked the most pointed question of the interview.

“Dash, what’s it like to fly?”

Rainbow Dash sat thinking for several minutes. It was such a simple question, yet the answer wasn’t entirely simple. She had been able to fly from the time she was very young, so it was hard to remember not being able to do it. Yet Earth ponies and Unicorns couldn’t do it, nor could creatures like Xavier. They spent their entire lives on the ground.

Dash felt sorry for those who couldn’t fly, and then she felt terrible for feeling sorry for them. How could she think that their lives were any less positive than hers? Still, she realized at that moment just how much flying meant to her. She tried to explain this to Xavier.

“Xavier, I simply can’t imagine not flying. For me, flying is like breathing. Flying is freedom. When I fly, I not only become one with the wind, I feel like I am the wind. I work with the air, but more than that, I feel like I am the air.”

“Wow. Of course, I’ve never flown, so I’m trying to imagine what it’s like. Is it like running really fast? Since you can both run and fly, maybe you can make a comparison.”

“This may not be very helpful. It is and isn’t like running very fast. Just like I can walk slow or run fast, I can fly at either slow or fast speeds, depending on whether I want to cruise along like a leisurely cloud on a warm spring day or race like a gale force wind. I guess flying feels kind of like the feeling you get once you’re running really fast and you almost feel like your feet aren’t touching the ground. But it doesn’t have to take the effort that getting up speed running does. Does that make any sense?”

“It does, Dash. Thanks,” Xavier said.

“Xavier, I want to tell you something,” Rainbow Dash said. “You’re a smart young mule, and I think you’ll understand what I’m saying. For a moment, I found myself feeling sorry for creatures that can’t fly. I want to apologize to you for that. I have no reason to be feeling sorry for you.”

“I don’t think you were really feeling sorry for me, Dash,” Xavier said. “I think you were imagining what it would be like if your flying ability got taken away from you. Of course it’s not like that for me. I’ve never flown before. But I can climb steep hills and enjoy it. I look at everything around me really closely. I like to see all the different plants on Yellow Mountain.”

“I never thought about how many different plants there were,” Rainbow Dash said. “It seems like Yellow Mountain is kind of a barren place.

“Shucks, it only seems like that if you’ve never seen it up close,” Xavier said. “I can show you all kinds of things you probably never noticed before. That is, if you’d like to see them.”

“I’d love to,” Rainbow Dash declared. “Xavier, I have a terrific idea! Why don’t you show me what it’s like to be a mule and help me get in touch with the Earth, and I’ll figure out a way to show you what it’s like to fly.”

“Wow, Dash, that would be great!” Xavier exclaimed. “Thanks so much! This assignment is the best ever!”

Some Prefer to Hang Low

Twilight Sparkle returned in short order, accompanied by Fluttershy.

“Excuse me, Xavier,” Fluttershy said in her quiet way. “Twilight tells me that you’re gathering perspectives on flying and would like my opinion. Well, I’d be very glad to give it to you. Oh, and also to go on your nature walk with you, if you don’t mind. I just love nature, after all.”

“Of course you’re welcome to join us,” Xavier said. “Twilight tells me you prefer to stay close to the ground. Why is that?”

“Well,” Fluttershy said, “for a pony like Rainbow Dash, the winds in the sky are exhilarating. For me, they’re terrifying. I feel pushed around and out of control. I feel like at any moment they may send me crashing to the Earth. Also, when you get up into the clouds, it’s so cold! Besides, most birds don’t fly that high. I like being down here where I can talk to my animal friends.”

“Do you find flying helpful to you in any way, or would you just as soon walk?” Xavier asked.

“Oh, flying is useful, and it can be fun too!” Fluttershy said. “It can help me get places a little faster than I could by running. I’m not a super-fast flyer like Rainbow Dash, but I can be pretty fast when I need to be. If I go up to tree-top level, I can look down and make sure my animal friends are safe. I do like flying, I just like to stay a little lower than Dashy does.”

At that moment, Rainbow Dash returned with the Wonderbolts.

“These Pegasi owe me a favor,” she said. “So, we’re going to walk up Yellow Mountain, and they’ll meet us at the top with a sky chariot. We can’t make you grow wings, Xavier, but we can show you what it feels like to fly.”

“Wow!” Xavier cheered. “This is the greatest day! Thank you all so much!”

“See you at the top of Yellow Mountain,” Soarin said, giving the group a smile and a friendly wink.

The Hike up Yellow Mountain

“Wow, Xavier, I never realized how many wonderful things there were on Yellow Mountain,” Rainbow Dash said. “There’s all kinds of life up here. Just because it’s a bit arid doesn’t mean that nothing lives here. Why, there are all kinds of amazing plants and animals. Check out those ants marching down into their home with those leaf bits. That’s so cool!”

“You want to see something really cool?” Xavier asked. “Check out this moss on the side of the tree. It’s called Eye Moss, because it looks like eyes are peeking out of it. If you touch it, the “eyes” actually blink!”

“Oh my gosh, the “irises” of the eyes are all different colors!” Twilight said. “It’s gorgeous, Xavier. I never noticed this before either. We can all really learn from each other’s experiences.”

“Yeah, variety is the spice of life,” Rainbow Dash said. “I’m ashamed to say, but I think my view up till now has been a little limited. I always thought that because I could rise up and see everything from a sky-high view, I could see more than those who couldn’t fly. I now realize that sometimes I need to come down and explore the world from an ant’s eye view too.”

After a leisurely hike, the group reached the top of Yellow Mountain. The Wonderbolts were waiting at Yonder Ridge, sipping cider and cool mountain water.

“Ready for your ride through the sky, Xavier?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Absolutely!” Xavier said. “I’ve been looking forward to it!”

Xavier's Project

After the excitement of the Equestria Games qualifying competition, Rainbow Dash was ready for a little rest and relaxation. She decided to head over to Sweet Apple Acres to see what was going on.

“Cider, apple pie, and plenty of loafing around—that’s what I need today!” Rainbow Dash declared.
Dash saw Apple Jack by the barn with her mule friend Whinny Ore from Yellow Mountain. Whinny’s younger brother, a juvenile mule named Xavier Nugget, was there as well.

“Howdy, Rainbow Dash!” Applejack greeted as Dash landed by the barn. “Whinny and Xavier just stopped by for a visit.”

“We were just talking about your exciting performance at the Equestria Games qualifying competitions,” Whinny said. “I can’t imagine why those Wonderbolts haven’t added you to their team. You’re certainly qualified enough.”

“Yeah, I sure am…I mean, yeah, thanks for thinking so,” Dash said.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash, for the school’s diversity project, I’m supposed to interview somepony who is a different type of pony than me,” Xavier said. “Of course I’m a mule, so any kind of pony is a little different from me, but mules are a lot like Earth ponies. A Pegasus is really different, though. I ain’t ever heard of a mule that can fly, have you?”

“No, I can’t say that I have,” Dash said.

“Well then, I think you’d be perfect for my interview. Would you do it?”

“Sure, Kid,” Dash said, a proud look on her face. “Why don’t we go over here to this clearing so I can give a flight demonstration if need be.”

Flying is a Challenge

The next day, Rainbow Dash came to visit Sweet Apple Acres, where Xavier and his sister Whinny had spent the night. She brought Twilight Sparkle with her.

“Xavier, Twilight wants to come with us on our hike up Yellow Mountain,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” Xavier said. “The more the merrier!”

“Great! So you can talk to Twilight about her perspective on flying, because it’s different for her than it is for me. Twilight didn’t get her wings until she was grown up. I had mine from the time I was born. Now, while you two talk, I need to go see a friend about a favor.”

Rainbow Dash took to the sky while Xavier and Twilight settled down in the shade of an apple tree to chat.

“Rainbow Dash told me all about how flying makes her feel free and makes her feel like she’s part of the sky,” Xavier said. “How does flying make you feel, Twilight?”

“Awkward and clumsy, although I’m getting better at it,” Twilight said.

“I can’t imagine you feeling awkward and clumsy. You’re so graceful and self-assured.”

“Not when I fly,” Twilight sighed. “I feel like I don’t have control over my body. You have no idea how many crash landings I’ve made, or how many trees I’ve flown into. Flying sounds like it would be so freeing, and it is for a pony like Rainbow Dash. But for me, it’s kind of terrifying. I’m used to feeling the ground beneath my hooves, not seeing the ground from the air!”

“Wow, I never thought of it that way!” Xavier said. “I was feeling kind of jealous of Rainbow Dash, being able to fly through the air free and easy like a breeze. But if you’ve never flown before, I guess it would be kind of hard to get your bearings.”

“I have an idea!” Twilight declared. “I know a Pegasus who prefers to remain close to the ground. Stay here, I’ll be right back!”

“If this project doesn’t earn me high marks, I don’t know what will,” Xavier said as he gleefully worked on his assignment.

Xavier's Flight

The Wonderbolts harnessed themselves to the sky chariot. Xavier and Fluttershy rode in the chariot, while Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle flew alongside.

“Wow, this is the biggest thrill I’ve ever had!” Xavier cried. “The air rushing through my mane, the clouds going by, looking down on the world below—it’s like you said, Dash! It’s freedom! Hey Twilight, you look like you’ve got this flying thing down! Does it feel like you do?”

“More than it used to,” Twilight said. “I’m starting to be able to relax and have fun with it. It’s still kind of a novelty. It doesn’t come naturally to me like it does to these guys.”

After a good long ride above Ponyville and the surrounding mountains, the Wonderbolts brought the chariot in for a landing near Sweet Apple Acres, where the group was given a party by Pinkie Pie and Apple Jack. Rarity, in the meantime, measured the Wonderbolts for the costumes that they would wear at their upcoming air show.

“Hey Xavier, there’s one more pony you should interview for your project,” Rainbow Dash said.

“One of the Wonderbolts?” Xavier asked.

“Well, them too. But I was thinking of Pinkie Pie. She’s always up on Cloud Nine!”

“Pinkie’s kind of a story in herself,” Xavier said. “In fact, each of you is so unique that you deserve your own biography. Thank you for this wonderful experience. I couldn’t have completed my project without you!”

“Well, Xavier, you taught us something today too,” Twilight Sparkle said. “In order to really see the world, we have to be willing to look at it from perspectives other than our own. I would venture to say that you are wiser than you know!”